There are several references to Pittsburgh as the Paris of Appalachia. Local writer, Brian O’Neill, took this casual epithet to heart and used it as the title for his book The Paris of Appalachia: Pittsburgh in the Twenty-first Century. According to the PopCity review —

O’Neill’s Pittsburgh is a place worth yearning for, with neighborhoods where you may get invited to dinner with the Condelucis and have coffee with North Side neighbors on the way home, or argue the history of the French and Indian war from a bar stool. His favorite characters are there, from Robin Troy and LaMont Pruitt to Gus Kalaris, the North Side ice ball guy. Read the review

The cover of the book is reproduced from a painting by artist Ron Donoughe, a painter that specializes in regional and local landscapes. You can see a fine example of his work in Polish Hill at Lili Coffeeshop, where his depiction of IHM Church is hanging.

More information about the Brian O’Neill is available at his site. Staffski would also like to point out that The Paris of Appalachia is available in the neighborhood at Copacetic Comics (3138 Dobson).